South African Police Service detectives have their sights set on three known suspects in the wake of a mass shooting that claimed the lives of eight people at a shebeen in Marikana, Philippi East, on Saturday, 17 January. The suspects remain at large.

In the wake of a mass shooting that claimed the lives of eight people at a shebeen in Marikana, Philippi East in Cape Town on Saturday, 17 January, violent crimes detectives at the South African Police Service (SAPS) are on the hunt for three identified suspects who are still at large.

Captain FC Van Wyk, media liaison officer at the Western Cape SAPS, said that six victims died on the scene, one on the way to the hospital and another after arriving at the medical facility. The case docket is being updated to reflect eight counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder under investigation.

"The shooting incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning and is believed to be linked to the crime of extortion... Two other victims sustained serious injuries due to the shooting," said Van Wyk.

Extortion fears

Of those killed during the shooting, which took place shortly after midnight, seven were men and one was the 43-year-old woman who owned the illegal liquor outlet.

While at the scene of the shooting on Saturday, Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile told Newzroom Afrika that the SAPS investigation had revealed that the men...